Skater Girl
by CBGirl
Summary: Written for a tumblr prompt: Jo is hurt and Callie notices.
**Skater Girl**

Jo reached into her locker and popped open a bottle of ibuprofen dumping a few into her hand just as her page sounded. She hurried, as quickly as her banged up body would allow, to meet Dr. Torres in the ER. She tried not to limp as she bit back a grimace each time her right foot landed on the hard floor. She entered Bay 3 and gingerly slid the curtain closed behind her.

Callie looked up impatience coloring her features, "Nice of you to join us, Wilson," she spit out.

"Sorry, I uh.." Jo started to explain.

"Nevermind. Cross present the case," the orthopedic attending demanded.

The nervous intern cleared his throat and stuttered, "Uh.. Parker Pratt, 16, presents today with left posterior hip dislocation from a fall while skateboarding."

Jo cut her eyes to the patient and then quickly turned her head praying he wouldn't recognize her. What were the chances? Out of all the teenaged skateboarders in Seattle how is it that he ended up here? This one, one of the ones she made a fool of herself in front of.

"Cross, give him the sedative now," Callie instructed, then after a moment, "Wilson stand over on this side and hold him down.. Yeah right there just like that." The orthopedist grabbed under the teen's left knee and his ankle, she started to rotate his leg, but his pelvis came up off the bed slightly, "Wilson, you are stronger than that, I know. Hold him down," she grunted, briefly glancing up at her student. She noticed the contorted look of pain flash across Jo's face as she took her place once again, and the way the younger doctor was guarding her right side wasn't lost on the mentor. "What's going on with you?" she asked blowing hair out of her face as she laid the boy's leg back down on the bed.

"It's nothing, I'm fine," Jo answered shifting her eyes away and looking at the floor. She grit her teeth and held Parker's pelvis down, "Go on, I'm ready," she ground out.

"No, move," Torres instructed, "Cross, come over here." The young doctor hurried to Callie's side. "Not here," the attending rolled her eyes, "Over there, take Jo's place. Wilson move back." She told Cross exactly what to do and then once again grabbed her patient's leg rotating first one way and then the other until his hip popped back into place. She stepped back brushing her hands off and said, "Get him up for another X-Ray and CT to make sure the hip is back in place and everything looks good. Wilson come over here with me." She led Jo into an empty trauma room. "Now, tell me what happened," she crossed her arms facing the younger woman.

"Gah, it's so stupid really, and I'm sure I'm fine," Jo stalled looking down at her feet where she was toeing the floor with her sneaker. Callie didn't budge; she held her gaze steady and lifted one perfectly sculpted eyebrow, waiting. The silence stretched, making the resident uncomfortable, "Ugh... Fine," she gave in clearing her throat, "There's these kids that hang around the loft messing around, _skateboarding_ ," she emphasized rolling her eyes toward Bay 3 where the kid was, "Last night we were getting home, and they were out there, and I mentioned in passing to Alex that I used to be pretty good on a skateboard. It was junior high, and the school I started out in I fell in with the skaters. You know, shaggy hair, hoodies, skateboards, hacky sack, that kind of thing," she shook her head, "Anyway, he mocked me, saying there's no way I could still do it, so I, of course, had to prove him wrong... And well... He was right," she grudgingly admitted. "I was doing really well until one of the wheels hit a crack and I flew off in one direction and the skateboard went in the other," she shrugged grimacing at the motion.

"Let me see," Callie commanded holding back a laugh.

"I feel so stupid," Jo said lifting up her right pant leg showing off a severely bruised knee, "I really think it's fine just bruised," she explained. Callie examined the knee nodding in agreement. "My only saving grace was that Alex had gotten a call and didn't see any of it. He has no idea, and I plan to keep it that way."

When she had finished examining Jo's knee Callie stood up straight, "Now show me your side," she said raising her eyebrows, "and don't tell me 'it's fine'," she mimicked, "I see the way you're guarding that side."

Jo sighed fingering the hem of her scrub top. She stopped suddenly, casting her eyes behind Callie, "Umm.." she tilted her head in the direction of her eyes.

Callie looked over her shoulder, "Cross!" she snapped at the over eager intern, "What are you doing here? Go get me that X-Ray."

"Oh right. You meant right now," he stumbled toward the door tripping over his feet to flee the room.

Callie shook her head, "Geeze is he in love with you, or what?" she teased.

"Gross! Shut up," Jo shuddered lifting up her shirt. Callie grimaced, lightly touching the large purple and blue bruise covering much of the younger woman's right side.

"We've gotta get that X-rayed," she said.

"Yeah, I know. I think I may have broken a rib or two," Jo finally admitted defeated.

"And you tried to say you were 'fine'," her mentor grumbled thumping the back of her head as she walked past her. They got up to radiology, "You're not pregnant, are you?" Callie stopped just before shooting the X-Ray.

"No, no way, go ahead," Jo shook her head.

Callie took the X-Ray as their pagers went off. "It's Cross, down in the pit," Callie said, "Go ahead down there, I'll take a look at these, and meet you there." Jo took off and Callie put the films up on the light box.

"That the kid you had down in the pit?" Alex asked walking up behind the orthopedist and studying the images over her shoulder.

Callie jumped snapping the light off and snatching the films up, "No, it's uh, it's a different patient. I gotta go. Got an intern paging me down to the ER." She rushed out the door leaving Alex to look after her shaking his head.

"You're right, two broken ribs," Callie said pulling Jo into an empty room and holding the X-Ray up to the lights, "Ice and lots of ibuprofen," she instructed. "Take at least a couple days off to start healing."

Jo shook her head, "I can't. I'll be okay. I'll be careful."

Callie raised an eyebrow, "Fine. You'll be on my service, and you'll mostly be doing pre and post-ops and scut. I will not have you re-injuring yourself or injuring yourself further, got it?" Jo nodded knowing there was no use in arguing. "Good! Now let's go get lunch, I'm starved." She linked arms with the resident and headed for the cafeteria.

That night, Alex watched as Jo cautiously moved about the loft. She had changed clothes and was already in bed and covered up with the blanket when he got out of the shower. He eased into bed beside her and scooted close behind her kissing her neck. She smiled briefly but pulled away, "I'm really tired tonight, Alex."

"Okay," he said rolling over to shut off the lamp. When he rolled back to her, he lightly draped his arm over her side. She flinched, but then quickly lay stalk still hoping he didn't notice. Smirking he applied just a touch more pressure, not enough to really hurt her just enough to make her very uncomfortable. She bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. Jo wasn't going to give in, obviously, so Alex spoke up, "Are you sure you're tired and it's not your broken ribs that are bothering you?"

Clutching her right side, she rolled onto her back and stared up at him, "Who told you?" she gasped wanting to wipe the cocky smirk off his face.

"Well for one, I saw Parker leaving the hospital with his mom; he stopped me and said, 'dude your girlfriend isn't bad for a girl, well until she wiped out anyway'. And don't you think I noticed how tenderly you're moving? I put it together and made a guess at the broken ribs."

"Pshh," she blew a puff of air out, "Until I wiped out, he's one to be talking," she scoffed.

"So I guess we could say... I was right," Alex teased.

She rolled her eyes and glared at him, "Shut up. I'm _not_ saying that," she pouted. He laughed loudly at her insolence. She cracked a smile and joined him, "Ouch, don't make me laugh," she whined.

Alex gave her a sympathetic look, "Where else?" he asked pulling back the covers and examining her for himself.

"Just my knee," she said lying back against her pillow.

He hopped out of bed and went over to the freezer, "We don't have an ice pack, just a couple bags of tator tots," he called over his shoulder. He returned to bed bringing the frozen food and some ibuprofen with him. He gingerly kissed her knee and then her side placing a bag of tots on each spot.

She smiled up at him appreciatively and reached her left arm up placing her hand on the back of his neck pulling him down into a kiss. "Thank you," she beamed at him.

He gave her one more peck on the lips and laid down on his side facing her, carefully pulling her close, "Night, skater girl."


End file.
